Can Hate Turn To Love?
by xocourtneyxo
Summary: S3..When Chris shows up in town again, he finds himself being thrown together with Peyton Sawyer. The only problem is that Peyton's got a messy relationship with Lucas, already. Could things get any worse? Bad summary. Chap4 up! R
1. Chapter 1

Okay-- just a few things that you should know: Lucas and Peyton hooked up over the summer, and are pretty much best friends. Nathan and Haley are back together,  
trying to work out their marriage. Chris is still on tour. Brooke and Peyton are still best friends.Jake never came back. Okay--I guess I'll explain everything else later.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Peyton sat down on the couch at Tric, tired. "Luke, I love your mom to death, but what was she thinking..putting ME in charge of Tric?"

Lucas sat on the arm of the couch, next to the blonde. Making a confused face, he spoke. "Huh, I don't know, Peyt. I mean, she COULDN'T have thought that she could trust you.. THAT couldn't be it. And it couldn't be that you're responisble, and awesome, and have GREAT taste in music.. Why DID she put you in charge"  
Lucas pretended to think about it some more, even rubbing his chin.

Peyton laughed, playfully slapping Lucas in the chest. "You're such a loser, Luke."

Lucas simply smiled back at her. The moment was interrupted by the phone ringing.

Peyton reluctantly stood up, and walked to the telephone. "Tric." She said, answering the phone.

After a few moments, a huge smile came across Peyton's face. "Thank you sooo much." She said before hanging up.

Charging over to Lucas, she jumped in his lap. "Dude, I got The Killers to come here...this Saturday!" She said, completely giddy.

Lucas smiled at her before twirling his index finger around. "Woo hoo." He said, pretending not to be interested.

Peyton grabbed Lucas's finger as she pretended to try to bite it.

"Ya know, biting and nibbling are two VERY popular forms of foreplay." Said a seductive voice, which was coming from the door.

Both Lucas and Peyton turned to see Brooke Davis. They immediately detatched themselves, hoping the situation wouldn't be akward.

Brooke sensed this, so she waved a hand at them. "Please..The whole 'Triangle of Love' thing is sooo last year." She said, smiling.

Peyton nodded her head, unsurely. "Okay, yeah." She said, hoping the subject would be dropped.

Lucas stood up. "Uhh, Peyt...and Brooke, do you guys wanna come to the cafe'?" He asked, remembering that Brooke was there.

Peyton shook her head, reluctantly. "Sorry, I can't. The band's manager is on his way here to talk 'details'" Peyton said, air quoting 'details.' Seeing the dissapointed looks on both Brooke and Lucas's faces, Peyton brightened up. "But you two can TOTALLY go together. Bring me some food. I'm starving." She said, trying to help Brooke and Lucas regain their friendship.

Lucas nodded his head slowly. "Okay." He said as he leaned over to give Peyton a kiss on the cheek. "Your usual?" He asked, referring to the cheeseburger and fries she always got from Karen's.

Peyton nodded her head. "Have fun." She said as they left.

Fifteen minutes later, a tall, masculine man walked into the club. "Peyton Sawyer?" He questioned.

Peyton looked up from the records that she was fixing. "Yeah?" She asked, not knowing who this person was.

"Hi, I'm Jimmy Masters. I'm managing the tour that you booked." He said, sticking his hand out for Peyton to shake.

Peyton smiled. "Oh, hey. I'm Peyton Sawyer." She said, shaking his hand.

The man looked at her. "I just thought you would be a lot...older." He said, searching for the correct word.

Peyton shrugged her shoulders. "Nope, I'm 17."

The man nodded his head. "Okay, now the band is in Florida right now, but I was able to grab the opening act. I thought you two could get acquainted."

Peyton smiled happily. This was going to be sooo much fun. "Of course, I'd be happy to show him around town, if he wants."

The man nodded as he waved someone from the door inside.

Peyton's eyes widened. She was face to face with Chris Kellar. "NO...FUCKING...WAY!" She said, louder than intended.

Chris simply smirked. "Good to see you too, Goldilocks." 


	2. Chapter 2

okay..so I got one review. That's about it..lol.. but it's okay, because I'll update anywayzzz..

Disclaimer: I don't own anything..BLAH..

"NO..FUCKING WAY!" Peyton repeated. Chris just walked into Tric, and it was like some..nightmare--ish...deja vu.

Chris laughed as he made his way over to his manager. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" He asked, feigning innocence.

Peyton shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. But I'm pretty sure you know Nathan..The guy whose LIFE you practically RUINED." Peyton said, her eyes burning with anger.

Chris's manager looked between the two. "I'm sorry. Do you two know eachother?"

Peyton spoke quickly. "NO!"

Unfortunately, Chris spoke at the same time. "Yeah."

Peyton shook her head. "Yes we know eachother. NO I can't..AND..WON'T..work with him."

Chris laughed. He was definately enjoying this. "Come on, Sawyer. Put your personal feelings for me aside. I know our breakup sucked, but I'm willing to be professional if you are."

Peyton scoffed, turning to the manager. "Puh-lease. We did NOT date." She then turned to Chris. "We did NOT date!" She said, equally as pissed off.

Chris rolled his eyes, turning to Alan, his manager. "She's still a little sour about the breakup. Can I have some alone time with my little Peyton bunny"  
He said her 'pet name' as if he were talking to a baby.

Alan nodded his head. "Yeah, actually, Peyton offered to show you around town. Maybe the time alone together will smooth things over." He said, thinking that he came up with some brilliant plan.

Peyton reluctantly nodded her head. "Come on, boyfriend." She said, hastily grabbing Chris and dragging him out of the club.

Once they were outside, Peyton hastily pushed him. "You...are a JACKASS." She spit out, angrily.

Chris stifled a laugh. "I'm sorry?" He asked, more as a question than a statement.

Peyton hid the smile that was playing her lips. "Yeah, well..you should be." She said. Wow, that came out lame. Peyton shook her head as she made her way to her car. "Where do you wanna go?" She asked, once he slipped into the passenger side of her car.

"Uhh, the cafe'?" He said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Peyton's eyes widened. "NO." She then proceeded to turn her body so that she was facing him. "You listen to me, okay! Stay away from Nathan and Haley. They're JUST getting their life together back on track. They don't NEED you coming in and ruining things for them again. Got it!" She was angry. Nathan and Haley were like the Tree Hill poster children for True Love. If they couldn't make it, then it was probably useless to even fall in love.

Chris actually looked slightly scared, but quickly regained his cool. "Look, goldilocks, I didn't MAKE Haley do ANYTHING she didn't want to. Was there a gun to her head? A knife to her throat? A grenade threatening to fall from my hands?" He paused for affect, daring her to challenge him. "I didn't think so." He finished, narrowing his eyes at the blonde.

Peyton swallowed the lump in her throat before turning back around in her seat, and starting the ignition. The silence was broken by Peyton. "Ya know, you don't have to be such an asshole about it. Nathan is one of my BEST friends, and you nearly ruined his life. We're NOT cool, got it?" She asked, challenging him to answer HER.

Chris continued looking out the window, not bothering to look at her. "Trust me, the feeling is DEFINATELY mutual. We're business partners. That's it."

Peyton nodded her head. "We don't even have to speak." She said, turning the stereo on to drown out the silence. 


	3. Chapter 3

I probably wouldn't even have updated if I didn't have two pain in the asses making me, so thank them :)

The silence was suffocating Peyton. She continued driving, trying to ignore the fact that he was even in her car. "Look..." She trailed off, finally daring to speak. "We have to work together for the next couple of days. Maybe you should stop being such an asshole." She told him, without taking her eyes off of the road.

Peyton heard Chris scoff, and she rolled her own eyes. "Right, what was I thinking?" She asked, not expecting an answer. "Chris Kellar doesn't play nice, right"  
She asked, mocking him. Peyton didn't care if she was getting under his skin, or if he was angry with her. All she knew was that she certainly didn't like him.  
Not ONE bit.

"You don't know me." Chris spit out, angrily. "As a matter of fact, you don't know SHIT." He added, tired of people judging him. "You know what your poor Nathan tells you. Well let me tell you something, Goldilocks. He doesn't know me, either." Chris said, running a hand through his hair. "I'm tired of everyone treating me like I'm some disease. What the hell did I do? Huh? I helped a friend out with her dream. Is that such a fucking crime?" He challenged Peyton, finally looking at her.

Peyton was silent for a moment, before hastily pulling over the car. "It's not about helping a FRIEND, Chris. It's about having complete, and total disregard for her marriage." She explained, finally looking over at the boy sitting next to her. "If you came here with the INTENTIONS of helping Haley, that would have been fine. But there's been a hidden agenda this entire time." She called him out on his bluff, narrowing her eyes at him.

Chris rolled his eyes. "There was no... "hidden agenda"." He said, using his fingers to make air quotes. "I helped Haley sing. Who knew a guy like Nathan would have insecurities?" He asked, as a rhetorical question.

Peyton didn't stand for it, though. She turned further around in her seat, so that she could fully face him. "So you didn't kiss Haley." She stated, already knowing the answer. When Chris looked away, Peyton nodded her head. "That's what I thought." She said, starting the car again.

They continued driving, the only sound was the tires on the road. Peyton pulled into a parking spot at some local burger joint, stepping out of the car. "Let's go." She mumbled, not in the mood for some lame small talk. Chris silently followed behind her, rolling his eyes.

"You keep doing that, and your eyes are gonna stay like that." Peyton told him, not bothering to look in back of her. She could sense that he had rolled his eyes. She didn't even have to look. Just like she knew that he was doing it right now, after the comment she just made. "It's not a myth, okay?" She said, opening the door, and stepping inside of the diner.

"Two.." Peyton trailed off, dreading actually having to eat a meal alone with Chris Kellar. The woman nodded her head, and seated them at a table close to the entrance.

"Good.." Peyton said, sarcastically. "Easier for me to run." She joked, pointing towards the door. To her surprise, Chris actually let out a short laugh. Peyton simply smiled, before looking down at the menu. Maybe, just maybe, things wouldn't be so bad after all.

Once they ordered, Peyton began business. "Okay, we have to get serious, Chris." She told him, folding her hands together. "Everyone in Tree Hill, including Nathan and Haley, are gonna be going to this concert." She explained, sighing. "They're really trying to get their life back. Don't just..." Peyton trailed off, carefully trying to choose her words. She didn't want to come off as some heartless bitch.

"I know..." Chris told her, understanding what Peyton was saying. "I promise you that I won't try to get Haley to run off on tour with me again." He joked, earning a small smile from Peyton.

"Well...good." She said, knowing that she sounded completely lame. What was up with her lately? Normally, Peyton Sawyer could battle someone in a game of wits, and win. Now, suddenly, she's giving up so easily. Oh well, Maybe, she's met her watch. "I trust that you won't do anything." She added, shrugging her shoulders.

"So, uhm, how long are you in town?" Peyton asked, tired of talking about Haley and Nathan. She had gotten Chris's word that he wouldn't do anything irrational to them, and that's the best that he could say for right now.

Chris looked up at her, shocked that she was actually sparking up a conversation. "Uhm, a couple days. Maybe a week." He said, shrugging his shoulders. "Why?  
You wanna set up a date?" He joked, wiggling his eyebrows.

With a smirk firmly in place, Peyton threw a french fry at him. "In your dreams." She mumbled, playfully rolling her eyes. Chris picked up the french fry that she had thrown at him, and ate it. "Mmm.. That's good." He said, smiling.

Peyton let out a short chuckle, dipping another one of the fries in ketchup. "Yeah, it is." She said, taking a bite of her burger. This was weird. Well, not weird, but Peyton assumed that's what made it weird. Shouldn't hanging out with Chris Kellar be weird? Why wasn't it? THAT was definately the weird part.

They paid for the meal, and got back into Peyton's car. "Okay, so I'll drop you off at Tric, so you can hang out with your super cool manager guy." Peyton joked,  
rolling her eyes. "But tomorrow, you need to be back at Tric by 10:30. I wanna do sound checks, make sure you have everything you need, you know the drill." She explained, tapping her hands on the steering wheel.

The rest of the drive was in silence. It wasn't like before, though. This wasn't akward at all. Both people in the car had content smiles on their faces. "Okay,  
we're here." Peyton said, already stepping out of her car. Chris followed, and playfully pushed her as they walked side by side. Entering Tric, Peyton pushed him back. They both laughed, but it was short lived.

Inside was Lucas, and he didn't look happy. Actually, he looked like he was going to throw up. "Peyton..." He trailed off, greeting her. "Chris.." He spit out venemously. Uh-Oh. This did NOT look good.

"Lucas..." Peyton said, with a small smile. "What's up?" She asked, but her question was answered when she saw the bag of food Lucas had gotten her. "Oh God"  
She trailed off. "I completely forgot. Chris and I just ate." Peyton explained, sighing. She didn't notice the evil smirk on Chris's lips, which was directed towards Lucas, or Lucas's evil snarl, and narrowed eyes, as he stared at Chris. 


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks to my reviewers. This chapter is dedicated to Tiff and Tara, because they bother me for an update more than anyone in the entire world.

Peyton's smile faltered slightly, but she tried keeping it firmly in place. This could work, right? She, Lucas, and Chris could all just be one big blonde family. Yeah, for some reason, Peyton didn't see that in their near future. Deciding that the silence, needed to be broken, Peyton took a step closer to Lucas, wrapping her arms around him in an only slightly awkward hug. Nothing with Lucas could ever be _completely _awkward.

Once the hug broke, Peyton smiled. "Thanks for the food, Luke.." She trailed off, nervously looking back towards Chris. "So, uhm, Chris is playing Tric tomorrow night." Peyton said, clapping her hands together in an attempt to lighten the mood. The look on Lucas's face told her that he was less than pleased. The whole entire time, Lucas's eyes never left Chris. It was as if he were gravitated towards the much skinnier blonde.

"Okay, this is awkward." Peyton admitted, looking down at the ground. Just then, she heard Chris speak. Since when was Chris sincere?

"Ya know what, Peyt? I'm gonna go. I'll see you tomorrow." Chris smirked over at Peyton, before turning his attention back towards Lucas. "Always good to see you, buddy." He spit out, sarcastically. Before Lucas got a chance to comment back, Chris was out the door.

Peyton felt Lucas tense up next to her. Why should she care? It wasn't like she and Lucas were actually dating. Okay, so that's a lie. Technically, they weren't, but..as always, Lucas and Peyton had that relationship that didn't need to be defined. Hell, it couldn't be defined even if you tried. They just were. They were always there for each other no matter what.

Lucas ripped his arm out of Peyton's grasp, and walked over towards the bar. He angrily banged his fists down onto the counter top, making Peyton jump at the sudden BANG that filled the room. He shook his head, looking over at her.

Peyton swallowed the lump in her throat, holding her heart as she prayed that it would regulate itself. "Luke..." She trailed off, knowing why he was angry. Chris was just a mere annoyance in

Lucas's life. Peyton felt his pain, and she believed that about Chris, too. At least..she did before. Before she actually got to know him.

"It was just dinner..." She stated, finally seeming to find her voice. "Just one stupid dinner that meant absolutely nothing to anyone." Peyton smiled faintly, before looking away. "What do you care, anyway? Aren't you and Brooke back together by now?" She spit out, surprised that Lucas and her best friend weren't off having sex.

Lucas shook his head, looking down at the counter. "I told her it wasn't going to work..." He began, his voice shaking from nerves. "I fell in love over the summer. Real love, too. Not the lust kind." He laughed a little bit from what he was saying, but stared Peyton directly in the eye.

How do you react to that? What was Peyton supposed to say? Of course she loved Lucas, but wasn't this rushing things a bit? Ten minutes ago, Peyton was thinking about her newfound friendship with Chris Keller, and now she had to think about Lucas's confession to being in love with her. How the hell did things change so quickly?

Without even thinking, Peyton grabbed her coat. Tears falling from her eyes, she tried her hardest to suppress the sob that seemed to be forming. "I gotta go..." She said, sadly. "I'm sorry, Lucas. I just..I need some time." She pleaded, practically running out of the club.

How could Lucas love her? Was it even humanly possible? Well, technically, I guess it could be possible, but why would Lucas want it to be? If he could have beautiful, smart Brooke Davis, what the hell was he doing with a nut job like Peyton? Couldn't he see that nothing good would come out of a relationship? He'd just end up hurting her again, and Peyton couldn't handle that.

She ran as fast and as far as her feet would take her. Realizing that she wasn't even near Tric anymore, Peyton stopped. She stopped running, and stopped crying. There she was, in the middle of the road, just standing. Completely, and totally numb? How did she get this way? Fear. Peyton could handle many things. Some would even say that she's one of the strongest people you'll ever meet. But Peyton could not handle rejection. The fact that her mother, and Ellie, and her father, and Jake all left her..it left such a mark on her. The fact that someone else might actually love her..it scared her to death.

Just then, a voice seemed to sound through her thoughts. "Peyton?" The voice asked, cautiously.

Without turning around, Peyton nodded her head. "Chris..." She trailed off, feeling his hand on her shoulder. Peyton closed her eyes, and then hugged him. She hugged him just because he was there. She needed someone, and he was making himself available to her.

"I followed you out of Tric." He explained, as she sobbed into his shoulder. "I know that suonds insanely stalkerish, but I can't help it. You've got me hooked." Chris joked, causing a tiny, tearful laugh to come from Peyton.

Peyton lifted her head, and smiled. "Thank you.." She whispered, still laughing slightly. "Thank you for following me." Peyton repeated, rephrasing her original statement.

Chris didn't need to know what happened with Lucas. All he knew was that she was upset, and that she needed a friend. Granted, less than three hours ago, they were shooting horrible coments back and forth in her car, but Chris was never one to judge. Right now, Peyton needed him, and he was going to be there. No matter what.


End file.
